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I have no illusions about Ted Cruz. He will or say anything necessary in order to advance him personally or professionally. On more than one occasion, I have called him the most dangerous political figure in America, and I stand by those remarks.

Now we have the Texas Senator on the campaign trail in Tennessee, patting himself on the back for blocking minor gun reform after the horrific killings of 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary. Here’s what Cruz said:

“Following the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, President Obama and Harry Reid lead an assault, not on going after violent criminals, which is what they should have done, but instead going after the Constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. And I led the fight to protect the Second Amendment in the U.S. Senate and we defeated President Obama efforts to undermine our rights.”

How will we ever find the laurels necessary to adequately thank Ted Cruz for his efforts to guarantee that the murders in Newtown can happen again and again in the United States? How can we properly praise his craven actions?

As I recall, President Obama’s proposals in the days following Sandy Hook were minor changes to the background checks required for gun buyers. There was also a provision to ban some of the more dangerous assault weapons which are used to commit mass murder. At no point did he say anything about taking guns or the right to own them away from law-abiding citizens. But as is usual in cases such as this, Republicans cannot resist hitting the panic button and hopping on the hyperbole train.

The Manchin-Toomey bill, crafted by two Senators from both sides of the aisle, was defeated thanks to the lies of people such as Ted Cruz, who is always happy to dance like a puppet for the NRA. And this was done over the majority opinion in the nation which supported stronger background checks for gun purchases. Here’s what Cruz tweeted out with glee when that happened:

His gloating is akin to dancing on the graves of the precious, innocent children who died that terrible day in Connecticut. And it is proof positive that Ted Cruz is a heartless, soulless monster who will never be President.